91吃瓜

Rave Reviews for Spangler's "Kite Runner" Adaptation

鈥淭he best page-to-stage show since War Horse. . . . . Matthew Spangler鈥檚 adaptation held the crowd spellbound. . . . Heartbreakingly good stage version of a popular story earns its place in the West End."  

鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽�                                            
The Stage Magazine

Professor Matt Spangler鈥檚 stage adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner ran from December 2016 through March 2017 on London's West End at Wyndham's Theatre. The production received a resounding array of rave reviews (see below).

A professor in 91吃瓜鈥檚 Communications Studies department, Dr. Spangler teaches courses in performance studies. His areas of research and creative work focus on immigration studies, intercultural performance, cultural globalization, Irish studies, documentary theatre techniques, and the adaptation of non-dramatic texts for the stage.

Dr. Spangler鈥檚 other stage adaptations include TORTILLA CURTAIN, based on the novel by T.C. Boyle, and ALBATROSS (with collaborator Benjamin Evett), based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge鈥檚 poem 鈥淩ime of the Ancient Mariner.鈥�

Below: A scene from "The Kite Runner" at Wyndham's Theatre on London's West End. 

The Telegraph
鈥�The Kite Runner soars.鈥� 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄

The Independent
"Spangler skillfully balances the scenes in Asia with those of the Afghan refugees seeking to maintain their dignity and culture in the West. . . . It cannot but remind us of the thousands of vulnerable children in Syria today.鈥� 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽�

Sunday Express
鈥淭he first 鈥榤ust see鈥� of 2017!鈥� 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽�

Spy in the Stalls
"Flying story of Afghan innocence has sting in its tail.鈥�  鈽呪槄鈽呪槄

Metro
鈥淛ust fantastic, one of the best shows I鈥檝e ever seen. I can鈥檛 recommend it highly enough.鈥� 

Jo Good, BBC Radio London
鈥淣ot since Ayub Khan Din鈥檚 East Is East in 1996 have I seen a play as moving as this.鈥�

Telegraph India
鈥淎n instant classic, its extraordinarily emotional ending, hardly leaving an eye dry." 

Theatre Performance Magazine
鈥淭heatre at its solid best.鈥� 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄

Jewish Chronicle
鈥淭he Kite Runner has set an extremely high standard that other shows opening in 2017 will find hard to reach. . . . Excellent writing combined with a fantastic interpretation.鈥�

London Theatre News 
"The great joy of Matthew Spangler鈥檚 stage version of Khaled Hosseini's novel is how it gives the story a vivid, pulsing and imaginative theatrical life, a charmer as well as heartbreaking." 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� 

London Theatre Reviews 
鈥淭he Kite Runner is an utterly heartbreaking story, beautifully and painfully brought to life.鈥�  鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽�

London Culture
鈥淜eeps all the plates spinning toward a winning result which is magically far greater than the sum of its parts.鈥�  鈽呪槄鈽呪槄

Broadway Baby
"The Kite Runner is an example of The West End doing what it is loved for: a marvellous story, exotic and involving, beautifully staged and gracefully performed. It opens a window onto a different world and, yet, resolutely speaks about life in Britain today - America too, for that matter. With bracing humanity, The Kite Runner examines the consequences of deception, betrayal and tradition. Kites are always flown, no matter where you live or who you are - and chasing them will help release your soul." 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄

Live Theatre UK
"The real star here is the story, but boy, does it shine brightly." 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄

Hackney Gazette & Islington Gazette
鈥�The Kite Runner is unmissable, taking the West End to new stratospheres . . . makes for high-flying theatrical perfection.鈥�  鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽�

Grumpy Critic
"You ABSOLUTELY MUST see The Kite Runner!"  鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� 

Gushing praise from Fresh Off the Stalls' James Waygood 
鈥淓motionally spellbinding 鈥� do not miss this superb production!鈥� 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄

London Weekly News
"This emotional story will stay with you, long after the kites have flown." 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄

Theatre World Magazine
"Subtle, mesmerising, heartbreaking鈥�  鈽呪槄鈽呪槄

The West End Whingers 
鈥淎n extremely powerful play."  鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽�

Entertainment Focus 
鈥淧oignant and touching鈥� 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄

Gay Times
"Matthew Spangler's moving adaptation of The Kite Runner soars to new heights in Giles Croft's stunning production." 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄

Stage Review
"This exquisitely written & directed performance will massacre your heart & enthrall your senses. I witnessed a standing ovation unlike any I鈥檝e seen in a West End production, and it鈥檚 rightfully deserved." 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽�

West End Wilma
鈥淎 deeply moving theatrical experience.鈥�

This is London Magazine
"In our fearful times The Kite Runner offers an open palm of reconciliation & hope.鈥� 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄

2017